UNIVERSITY students have taken the first steps towards a giant leap into space by sending a satellite 30km into the stratosphere.

The students, who are all in the fourth year of the MEng degree course at Warwick University, have spent the past year working on the project.

The successful test launch of the prototype satellite paves the way for a longer-term plan to put a satellite built by undergraduates at the university into low-earth orbit, at about 2,000km.

They have built a satellite known as a CubeSat, a 10-cm-wide cube which despite its small size can carry a range of equipment including cameras and sensors as part of the Warwick University Satellite (WUSAT) Project.

The test launch took place at an approved site in Welshpool, where a high-altitude weather balloon lifted the satellite to an altitude of approximately 30km before it made a parachute descent to the ground.

Student Richard Young said: “Launching the prototype is the key first step to eventually sending our satellite into space.

“The balloon launch aimed to test the power and communications systems to make sure they were ready for the more challenging task that lies ahead – and they all performed well. WUSAT is a very exciting project to be involved in, as launching a satellite is a big engineering challenge. Not only are we building technical knowhow, we are also working closely with prestigious industry sponsors.

“That experience of working alongside top engineering firms is really beneficial and will stand us in good stead when we go out into the jobs market.”

For its test launch, the CubeSat carried three cameras, a radio communications link and a GPS tracker to aid recovery. It was designed to withstand temperatures down to -60C and transmit data and images up to a range of 30 miles.